Silver City Sojourn - Day 6 - Silverton, local Broken Hill sites and the Sculpture Symposium

Tuesdsay 26 April

A fairly good night, then I decide I had better catch up on the journal which is a couple of days  behind.  Mum reads her bible and then does her exercises as I work.  It’s an easy day today, so there’s no need to rush.  No point heading out before things are open.  

Before we have a chance to get too far Mum realizes that she hasn’t got her glasses.  She goes through all her stuff and then rings SSSF and sure enough they found her glasses on the floor of the plane.  We head out to the Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum.  They aren’t open yet.  We go and fill the car with petrol and then decide to head to the park in town to check out the ant sculpture.  The garden is called the Conservation garden and it has been established to demonstrate the different performance of a range of exotic plants and native plants.  There is a large shining white sculpture closest to the road but I do not find any plaques or information boards to tell us about it.  The Ant however is, as one would guess from looking at it, by Pro Hart. 

The Ant has a dedication plaque which reads: Dedicated to the workers of Broken Hill & their struggles to extract the wealth we all live from. There is also an interpretive board that explains the significance of the ant to Pro and it comes from his devout christian faith. The sculpture represents the dedication that each miner must show to his mates. Underground he is important only as a member of a team working as closely together as ants in the common interest.  No matter what a miner's personal feelings are towards another miner, he cannot let them interfere. In this way he learns tolerance.  The sculpture was inspired by Proverbs VI, VI: Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.

I find this information very enlightening and I am surprised that the Pro Hart Gallery did not explain that about his use of ants in Pro's work.  

I wander around the paths in the garden and admire the flowers.  Some fragrant wattles are flowering, so I warn mum to avoid that bit as she's allergic to those.  

Then I go next door to the rotary park to photograph a lovely pink flowering gum and across to the next lot to have a look at the Kintore Head frame and read about its history in the interpretive panel provided.

Back in the garden there is a yellow flowering eucalypt with comparatively coarse bright yellow blossoms of heavy substance. The fruits of this tree are ridged and gnarled. 

On the edge near the grass a beautifully flowering pin cushion hakea.  

Time now to head out to the airport and get mum’s glasses which goes smoothly. Then it is an easy skip across to the flying doctor base. An hour too early for the first tour. Hmm.  Maybe we have time to duck back into town for the geo museum.  Back in the car and in no time we’re paying our small entry fee and heading in.  What a surprise! This place is fascinating. I’m not generally interested in minerals or geology but this museum houses the city’s collection and it includes a remarkable array of specimens many of which do not exist in the local area any more, some very rare, or unusually large.  Even the specimen of galena which is common in the area is really interesting to see, and very pretty.  If that is not enough, the silver tree is huge. Much bigger than we expected and the craftsmanship is exquisite. Under the tree itself which once would have supported a cut crystal bowl, there are aboriginal hunters, emus, roos, a boundary rider and some sheep.  I came so close to skipping this museum but it was great. I am so glad we came in here.  We have run out of time but there is also a corrugated iron miners shack in the backyard, that I would really have liked a closer look at.  Maybe next time.  We have to dash out to the flying doctor base. The tours run from the Bruce Langford Visitors Centre and the Clive Bishop Medical Centre is across the courtyard.

It’s only a few minutes out to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) base and we have a look in the shop for a bit until time for the tour.  The tour heads down through the operations room where we get an overview of the range of services that the RFDS offer.  Everyone knows about the emergency evacuation side of things, but many people don’t realize that the RFDS offer a regular clinic round in remote areas and this is the only medical services available to those communities. They even have a dentist who goes around with her gear and portable dentist chair. Everyone is covered all services are free of charge.  The RFDS also does evacuations when people are taken ill or are injured on the ghan or tours, so while city people may think the RFDS is not relevant for them, it serves everyone.  We move on to the hanger to hear about the planes.  

Operating expenses are covered by the government, but the RFDS has to supply their own planes. These cost 6 million to buy and another 2 million to kit out for the role.  So 8 million AU$ all up. Fundraising is essential and 100% of donations goes to the purpose, none on administration. Give generously. We have a quick look around the museum, but there's not much we don't already know having read the book about John Flynn by Ion Idriess and also having had a good look at the Adelaide House museum in Alice Springs which also is closely involved in the history of the RFDS. We buy some things in the shop, all profits go towards funding the planes.  A maroon and white shirt for Hubby, a first aid kit; a couple of pairs of earings; a cookbook. We've really enjoyed our visit here  Then time to move along.   

Where to now? Straight out to Silverton, but first we stop at the lookout over the mundi mundi plain.  Not really anything we haven’t seen already over the course of our trip.  However the views are expansive and as with everywhere else around here at the moment, it's green rather than the "normal" red.

We decide to explore out to Umberumberka Resevoir and then make our way back. It doesn’t take long to get there.  It’s kind of a ramshackle sort of place, but there is a pleasant picnic area up from the actual reservoir wall.  Nothing to keep us long when we have limited time.

Next we head back to Silverton keen for some lunch.  First we head up to the café but it is bedlam there. No tables to be had, so we decide to head down to the horizons gallery for a better look down there.  We are really thrilled to read on the interpretive sign outside, that the gallery is in what was originally the butcher shop run by Sackville Kidman and is where Sid Kidman worked when he was about 14.  Coool.  I acquire a lovely framed print here called West Fall of the Barrier Ranges. Beautiful work and completely evocative of the local landscape. I have just the place for that. Very reasonable price too already beautifully framed by the artist.

Back up at the café we end up sitting at a table with a Broken Hill local and have a lovely chat over lunch and a slice of quandong pie. I had a pretty good milkshake, mum had an orange spider.  Our waitress comments that it's always people of the older generations that order the spiders.  Meals we shared: sausage rolls and a serve of damper – which was rather like a giant scone. Nice and light and quite tasty. We buy a large bag of quandong seeds for making necklaces with the grandkids when they get a bit older.. and in fact we'll need to have some more too I guess (haha I'm always thinking ahead!). We also bought a jar of quandong jam which mum and I shared over following weeks. Absolutely delicious - don't skip that!! I wish I'd bought more.

Next we have a quick look at the coin carver and at the various old buildings. The Mad Max Museum is next to the cafe, but we both find we can cheerfully skip that one.  We’re finding Silverton more interesting than either of us expected.  We stop by the leaning dunny of Silverton and check out the gallery next door, cost of entry is a gold coin donation. Apart from the tea towels we don’t enjoy this gallery much.  Seems to me the souvenirs and prints on offer are overpriced.   Another of the stores we checked out was called Beyond 39 Dips. This is chiefly a leadlight studio.  The name of the store is a reference to the large number of dips on the road out from Broken Hill.  It’s an entertaining road to drive though you can’t go overly fast with the dips coming up pretty frequently.

It’s a tough decision but in all the living desert and sculptures have to take priority over the Silverton goal museum, so we head back in to town, then out again to the Living Desert.  $10 entry per vehicle. It’s about the time that we flew over yesterday.  We follow the signs to the sculptures and this involves climbing up to the ridge top where we are met by wonderful views around the ranges and back to Broken Hill. It is simply a stunning location.  Other visitors are wandering around in awe.  Some are so overwhelmed they cannot help but turning to eachother to exclaim how wonderful it all is. So much better than they were expecting.  Some of the sculptures are in themselves a little underwhelming, but there are a few that we really like,  Even simply as lumps of rock in this position among the gardens on the ridge top they are collectively wonderful. 

Having taken our fill of the sculptures we decide to drive around to the living desert just as a reccie. It closes at 5pm so isn’t open now in any case, but it’s interesting to see the picnic area.  There is a walk up to the sculptures and that would be the way to go if you have no issues with mobility. It's only 1.2 kms or about 20mins walk.  In warmer months you are advised to take water and in the cooler periods a wind proof jacket is recommended..  We don’t stop at the picnic area though and turn to head back to Broken Hill hoping for a rest before dinner.  On the way out we pass a sign pointing to a display of Sturts Desert peas.  At first I don’t see them, you would probably miss them if not for the sign. They are about 50 metres or so away from the road in great splashes of red.  Awesome. 

I pull over and we each climb out and head to the peas with cameras at the ready.  How awesome to see the peas in their natural environment. We have only seen them in gardens before.

We pause a couple of times on the way out to admire the sunset and try to capture it but photos seldom do a sunset justice.

A brief time to relax before heading to the Broken Earth Restaurant high on the line of lode for dinner. On arrival we are greeted by a delicious aroma which bodes well for the meal.  We are seated promptly but there are a couple of large groups who are currently using all the menus, so we order drinks and wait.  Eventually and soon as a couple of people have ordered at the large table, More apologies and menus are provided.  We decide to go with entrees for both savoury courses.  Our first round is the best with a haloumi and mushroom stack for mum and quail for myself.  Both delicious and we both agree that the haloumi is the nicest we have ever had.  We are surprised at the colour of the cheese when it appears as it has been cooked to almost black on either side, but it defied its looks and didn’t taste overcooked in the slightest.

Our next course mum went for honey soy prawns with crispy noodles.  This was interesting with more honey in the flavor than I have typically found in honey soy flavoured things.  Quite reminiscent of honey prawns.  It is garnished with coriander which is unfortunate because mum doesn’t like coriander at all. The coriander was not listed in the description. It would probably have broken up the cloying aspect of the honey if mum had not been inclined to remove every tiny coriander contamination. 

My second course was ravioli with chorizo and feta.  When it came out it turned out to be massive. Absolutely massive.  For entre dishes both these second round arrivals have been very big.  I also ordered a salad and that too is massive.  I would have been happy with half the size.  I asked later whether they had made these two main sized but was told no, that’s the entre (starter) size.  We concluded they must be portioned to accommodate very hungry miners who do physical work all day.  I am keen to try the deserts and though tempted by  a couple, I decide to go for the pumpkin and orange and apricot pudding with orange infused yoghurt cheese.  This was very very sweet. Only the yoghurt dressing which was not plentiful breaking up the sweetness.  Apricots in the base but they are the whole dried sort that I’m not overly fond of.  We were not all that fussed with the pudding, but I think to myself that I have been spoiled when it comes to desserts.  The high end places in Sydney are really extremely good and most recently our dining experience was at Aria.  Its really not fair to compare a $13 dessert with a $25 dessert is it!  Tonight’s dessert was fine really. It needed a bit more to offset the level of sweetness, but the biggest problem was that the portion sizes on the entrée dishes was just too big to have you arrive at dessert with enough appetite to do the offerings justice.

We are a bit horrified by the time. It was 8:45 by the time we were even ordering dessert.  Three staff on the front of house and they seem to be coping very well with a full house.  The delays seem to be in the kitchen, simply servicing the number of people, though I did note that the big groups where receiving their meals in quick succession from each other and all ordered al la carte.  Many places in Sydney simply won’t let a group of that size order a la carte. 

It is quite late before we fall into bed. 

Silver City Sojourn - Day 5 - Anzac Service and Lake Eyre Scenic Flight

Day 5 Monday 25^th April – Anzac Day

Up at 5 am and bustling around preparing to leave for the Dawn Service.  The motel has prepared details of the day’s program of remembrances for guests, which we appreciate very much.  I went down Sulphide st to drop mum as close as possible to the memorial for the service and find a beaut parking spot  very close.  Luckily mum had her disabled parking sticker on the car. The kerb is quite high and Mum couldn’t manage it on her own, but a nice lady gave her a hand. As we wait for the service to begin the memorials look splendid all lit up in the dark.  The WW1 Memorial is very impressive with a digger posed in the midst of throwing a grenade. It is a wonderful statue and must have cost a lot of money. Definitely one of the most impressive Anzac memorials I have seen. 

Coincidentally when we get home I discover in my reading that this memorial in Broken Hill was by sculpted by Charles Web Gilbert who also did the original memorial for Mont St Quentin in France and the diorama for Mont St Quentin in the national war memorial. There is a very prominent and large memorial to the Vietnam Vets too, and a smaller very modest one to WWII, Korea, Malaya and Vietnam tucked away like a bit of an afterthought.

As the service gets underway, serving army soldiers move into position at the four corners of the memorial and the diggers who have assembled for rum rashions at the legion club earlier in the morning march into a prominent position. From the age of most it looks like there’s no shortage of Vietnam vets in Broken Hill. The MC for the service starts off with a few words and invites the local minister to speak.  The minister says that war brings out the best and worst in people, but that today he’d like to focus on the best.  He goes on to read a moving letter from a father to his son about how men don’t embrace and men don’t cry but if he were here now they would embrace and that sometimes men just cry.  Throughout the service the vets stand at attention and at ease at appropriate points.  The band plays a hymn and the minister leads a prayer.  Reveille is sounded and a piper plays.   The biggest difference to our local service was that they didn’t get the crowd to face East or turn to face the west.  The crowd participated in the lest we forget,  beating the MC to it, and then saying it again after him.  The service finished with the national anthem which was played by the band but the crowd was not invited to sing along and didn’t do so off their own bat.

We mosey around take a few photos.  There is a round garden planted with Peace roses which we thought a nice touch, and we wander down to check out a wooden boat shaped sculpture at the far end of the park.  It is a project by students of the local TAFE in some sort of aboriginal artwork course.  With that we are done and we resolve to try to make it back later to get a photo of the war memorial in full light.

Back to the motel to finalise preparations for our flight out to Lake Eyre and the Flinders Ranges.  We have some brekky and I do a little journaling while mum does this and that. Then it’s time for departure and we head out to the airport. 

It takes the full half hour to do all the meet and greet, flight briefing and so forth and then we clamber into a small Cessna.  A flock of galahs is feeding on the grass near the runway. Smooth takeoff and first we pass over Broken Hill and get a look at one of the open cuts right in the centre of town.  From the ground or even up at the memorial on the Line of Lode you would have no idea these huge open cut mines were there.  As we fly over the edge of the Barrier Ranges there is a light mist lying like a gossamer veil over the ridges. It will soon burn off.  It’s pretty while it lasts.

We leave the ranges and head out over the mundi mundi plain.  The country is green as far as the eye can see.  Mad Max3 is set for filming at Silverton and at the Broken Hill Movie Studios which have been established by the local council in the large buildings that were once housing for the broken hill power generations plants.  These became obsolete when Broken Hill was connected to the grid. At any rate the movie studio has been leased to the movie for a couple of years, but the location scenes at Silverton are a problem because it’s all too green. What they are looking for is the typical red soil desert look that Silverton is known for.

Throughout the day the landscape is scarred by the lines of watercourses.  It is counter-intuitive because normally you would expect that a watercourse or soak would be the green part and the surrounding area dry and red.  At the moment the water courses are the only red or puddles where water has dried up.

The transition to the Strzleckie Desert is marked by the appearance of ripples in the earth. All is still green, The dune tops are crusted with small shrubs which appear from a height like little trees but which Tim (our pilot) tells us are only about 1 metre tall. We descend to about 500 feet so that we can see that the ridges are sand underneath the green.  In the dips between the dunes the earth is carpeted with matting ground cover plants. When we have had a good chance to see the desert we rise again to our cruising height of 2500 feet. 

At this higher altitude the trip is smoother as we are up out of the effect of turbulent air rising off the dunes.

Scattered across the desert are ephemeral lakes.  They vary in colour according to how the light is hitting them.  Across to our left we admire some that are shining sapphire blue.   We pass Lake Blanche and can see Lake Frome and the Flinders Ranges off in the distance.  In places streaks and patterns in rich emerald green entrance the eye.  

After a time we cross the vermin proof fence which was originally built to stop the rabbits spreading. It was unsuccessful at that and so then was said to stop the dingos entering the pastoral land. At this point the dog fence follows the border between NSW and SA. 

 

We continue tracking north west to the punt across the cooper creek. The Cooper is usually a dry river bed that you drive across. Today it is a wide flowing river and we can clearly see the punt that carries the cars over the water and some cars on the banks nearby.  We are passing the very tail corner of a large expanse of Ramsar wetlands.  Beyond the punt the Cooper spreads out into a wide lake- like area before snaking off on the remaining journey to Lake Eyre which is still off in the distance.  Looking down from a great height we see a few flocks of birds.  Tiny specks that you would almost miss. We are crossing the wetlands which are the main area where the birds are found. 

Numerous small bodies of water lie here and there among the desert dunes.  Some dry salt lakes begin to appear as we near Lake Eyre North.  We are cutting corners across its meanderings but we are basically following the route of the Cooper Creek into Lake Eyre.  It seems to sort of peter out in places before reappearing a little way along.  There is an area of shallow small ponds interspersed with vegetation and this we are informed is where most birds are found.

Now we come to Lake Eyre itself.  Shimmering salt in white, wet salt areas show a dull brown and the water shines and shimmers in the sun showing beautiful pale blue, or pink, or brownish purple in various areas as we pass.  

We are remaining high at about 2500 feet as SSSF believes this gives us the best view and we can see where we are and the overall lake. 

Tim says watch out for other planes, as some come through without telling anyone else they are there, and it’s pretty busy out here.  The radio is reporting traffic as various aircraft announce to others where they are.  Apparently there has been at least one plane that has come through underneath us without announcing their presence.  I suspect that perhaps this is another reason why SSSF stay high – to keep out of the way!

It takes a while to cross Lake Eyre North which is 70% full.  It is a shallow lake and the wind shifts the water around changing the view day by day.  Spectacular swirls and shapes appear as we cross over the western lake edge and head for William Creek where we will lunch.  In this portion of the trip the earth is looking a little more like desert.  Red earth is showing through the vegetation.  Eventually William Creek and its airstrip appear. 

There is no shortage of radio traffic and planes arriving and departing from this remote outpost.  There are 8 planes on the ground as we approach and another three arriving.  We’re pretty much bang on time at 11:30ish.  It’s a walk of a few hundred metres to the William Creek Hotel.  There is a flock of little corellas over on the ground nearby.  The flies are quite enthusiastic and everyone has a backload of passengers as we head for cover.  The flies buzz around faces but are not too bad. A bit of practice at the traditional aussie wave, or better still the keep the mouth shut and blow jets of air up to discourage them when necessary. 

We don’t dilly dally and head on into the hotel and take a seat.  We peruse the menu.  Mum seeks out a power point to get on her nebulizer, then we order our lunch and sit down to chat with our companions.  They are civil but not friendly and don’t have much to say.   I ordered a grazing plate which is described as having marinated vegetables, dips, salad, and Turkish toasts with labna.  Mum goes for a steak sandwhich with the lot which I predict will be enormous but she is not deterred.  Also on the menu are toasted sandwiches, baguettes and kangaroo and emu pies.  One of our fellow travelers is tucking into a pie and it’s fairly small. As we wait for our meals we have a look around the walls.  It is traditional to leave a calling card of your visit on the walls, but we don’t participate in this tradition.  Seems like cheating arriving by plane really. The room where we are sitting is constructed from railway sleepers.  William creek is located in the midst of what is claimed to be the largest pastoral property on earth.

Our food arrives and it appears they must be out of labna which is very disappointing. I probably wouldn’t have got this except for the labna. Oh well. I enjoyed the meal in any case.  Mum’s steak sandwich arrives and it is, as was always going to be the case, enormous.  She manfully gets stuck into the task, prioritizing the steak and egg and skipping the Turkish bread in which it sits.  Looks like a room service tea for me again tonight as mum won’t want too much.

Tim and another SSSF pilot Drew join us and Tim is more a chatty sort of person (thankfully) and we have a nice chat as we have our meals.

Time comes when we must be getting on our way. But first we pause for a tripod shot at outside the pub. Love this flash new tripod, it is so so small and light and so easy - worth every penny.  A few more snaps of the area around William Creek and some of the local signage.  Mum requests another photo with the road sign and then we’re on our way to reboard the plane for the remainder of our trip. 

We depart William Creek at about 1:30. As we fly away we follow the course of a road below and I count 11 vehicles heading back from the direction of the lake, kicking miniature dust clouds behind them.  It is like Pitt St out here.  Half the world seems to be making the trek to see the spectacle of this lake in a big wet season.  Old timers say the lake hasn’t had so much water in 40 years.. not since 1974.  This is a once in a life time opportunity and clearly many people aren’t wasting it.

It’s not long until we are crossing over Lake Eyre South. Again staying at about 2500 feet.  The first bay is Bells Bay which shows a sort of murky green browny colour.   

Close by we come to Jackboot bay which is a purple pink hue, the shape of the boot needs a little imagination for me but is described as a sort of reverse Italy. Finally we cross Madison Gulf which is a pretty pale blue and pink. With the edges of snowy white and the pale powder blue sky and surrounding desert the whole scene is very beautiful, but as it turns out hard to capture in the photos, although the accentuation of the pinks by the camera is a lovely effect. 

From Madison Gulf we swing south east to Marree.  It is surprising how varied the patterns on the desert below are. Even with the green around after the flooding and rain it is extraordinary to think that people run cattle out in these arid lands.  Scars of roads and pipelines are plain to see.  We pass over Marree, which is bigger than I expected.  Apparently people come up to Marree which is accessible by mostly sealed roads but some sections of dirt, and take their Lake Eyre scenic flights from there.  Marree is not too accessible from Sydney in a short trip, hence our decision to do it from Broken Hill. As we move on from Lake Eyre South white expanses of salt and a mosaic of olive greens and browns provide yet another texture to the landscape.

At Marree we again make an adjustment to our course and head for Arkaroola and the flinders ranges which appear as scrunching of the earth.  The ranges present a change of scene to the desert area. We mostly stay very high and it is interesting to see, but would not be a substitute for a heli flight that stayed at a lower altitude. As we approach the ranges the skeleton of the ranges breaks the ridges like the spine of some great reptile.

The crumpling of the ranges intensifies before falling away to the plains in the east.

 The ranges behind us we are on our way to what turns out to be a particular highlight of the trip.  Lake Frome.  A sparkling expanse of white salt crystals gives why to a confection of pastel pinks violet and blue swirled around crescent islands crusted with dark plants. It is spectacular. 

The greatest salt lake spectacle of the day saved for last. The pictures don't do it justice. 

Finally we cross a deep channel of gorgeous purple. Lake Frome is the jewel in the crown.

As we head on back towards broken hill we pass a mosaic of smaller dry salt lakes and back across the strzleckie desert.

We are heading first for Silverton where we fly over the long straight loop ended road that was constructed for the filming of Mad Max way back in the early 80s.  With the rain, parts of the road are washed out at the moment. 

We note the Umberumberka Resevoir which is at 100 per cent capacity at the moment over there in the north.  Then Silverton itself, which is bigger than I expected too, but the grid of streets largely empty where houses that once were have been demolished. 

The country all around is very green.  No outback moonscape to be seen anywhere.   Moving right along we’re looking for the Scuptures and find them sitting crested on a ridge with their car park nearby.  They are on Mum’s side of the plane so it’s quite hard for me to get a good shot, but I do my best.  There is a walk you can do from the ridge down to the wildlife reserve (or vice versa) so if you're exploring both and can handle the walk you don't have to move your car. 

In a flash we are passing over a number of open cuts in the line of lode as we approach the airport.  On mum’s side of the plane mostly, but I manage just one shot.  The position for me is all wrong for getting the miners memorial and the restaurant. I wildly snap one photograph, but I think it is showing as a strange jumble of mullock and instead I take a nice shot of the houses in South Broken Hill.

We are back on the ground at about 4:30 having watched another plane land as we circled on approach.  We clamber out of the plane and are presented with a folder containing some information and a couple of key rings.  Amongst it is the most important thing, a plot of our route today.  Excellent.   As we turn to head inside we spot a small bird of prey with tear drop face.  Not black enough for a peregrine we assume a hobby, but don’t get much time to look before it takes off again on the hunt and the sun sinks to the horizon.

We’re both pretty warn out, mum in particular is stiff from sitting in the plane on the way back.  We are both heartily relieved to have the head sets off our head as they do get a bit heavy  and uncomfortable on the ears after a while.  No rush to try to fit more in today, we decide to have a nice early night and head back to the motel.  I obtain some internet time and we share another chicken parmy for tea. Man the parmy’s here are good!!

We watch the anzac day news and service from Lone Pine on ABC1, then switch the tele off and have an  early night. Finishing our day as it started with remembrance for those we have lost.  Lest we forget.

Silver City Sojourn - Day 4 - Charlotte's Cafe and Menindee Lakes

Day 4 Sunday 24 April.

I slept reasonably well. The bed is a bit hard.  By about 4 oclock mum is snoring and I’m rested enough that I’m not going to get back to sleep, so I decide to complete yesterday’s journal.  Journalling is a time consuming business.  I am pleased that mum seems to be getting a better night’s sleep than last night.  We’ve got our cruise on Menindee Lakes today.

First stop is to get some brekky. We couldn’t find Macca’s which was Mum's first choice (she loves their pancakes and hash browns) so we went to Charlotte’s Café in the main street which seems to be the only thing open.  They had a sign up saying they have smart choice meals and to ask about them and support this healthy eating program.  I ask the lady serving but she has no idea what I’m talking about and suggests that it’s just their normal breakfast menu.  So we make our choice.  Raisin Toast and scones.   The scones are HUGE HUGE in fact ridiculously huge, but come with a very small amount of jam and cream, less than one would usually be given for a couple of normal sized scones.  Very strange, but the scones were very good. We save one for Ron.  Mum’s raisin toast came with three slices and sides of margarine, jam and mamalade.  She also got a cappuccino which came with an everest of froth (not how its supposed to be).  She said it was pretty aweful coffee ... by Sydney standards at any rate.  It was just as well we went in early. As we ate the place filled to bursting.   We read some of the heritage signs along the main road near where we’ve parked and then go looking for petrol. 

We fill up, buy some milk and ice which we stow in the esky.  Now we’re off to Menindee lakes.

It is a pleasant drive through a range of low hills when you first get out of town, then the landscape becomes very flat.  Good ground cover everywhere and aside from the road verge not much in the way of red soil to be seen.  After a while we spot a large flock of emus just next to the road, but it was a pretty uneventful journey until we come to Stephens creek.  It would have been nice to stop there as it was the typical red soil dry riverbed with trees growing in it. Very lovely, but we head on. 

I had originally planned to sus out Kinchega NP and the historic woolshed before the cruise time, but we go in to where our directions indicate to do a reccie and make sure we know where we need to be. As we drive along the dirt road dust rises up and drifts across with the wind. It passes across rows of campers perched by the water and I cannot help but think that these folk have chosen an aweful place to set up camp. Having checked out where our directions says we meet the cruise, we park by the water near the Bourke and Wills campsite and watch the waterbirds for a while.  Terns, pacific herons – plenty of young birds. Lots of white egrets. Mum says intermediate egrets. Peewees.  Galahs, white ibis.  Most interesting was the black fronted plovers, but as well there were silver gulls and willy wagtails. Scenically we thought it was pretty ugly (sorry) and the whole area is crowded with campers. Looking over the photos I find neither of us were moved to take any pictures. 

Before we take off we stop briefly among the campers to check out the Burke and Wills campsite. Ho hum.  Best thing about the campsite is the beautiful tree there.  The area all around the lakes is crammed with Easter campers.  The environment nearby the Bourke and Wills site is smelly from rotting carp which people catch and leave to die on the banks and overall it’s a bit yuck really.  Certainly I’ve seen more tempting camping spots.  

As time approaches for the cruise we move on up to the main weir, take a toilet stop and park up near where we expect to join the cruise.  We admire the rushing torrents of water flowing over the spillway.

 No sign of the River Lady sign that is predicted. As I look at the weir I see the boat on the opposite side.  We are in the wrong position.  I check and double check the map we were sent. Yep, we are where they told us to go.  Just as we’re figuring it’s a lost cause Tri State Tours rocks up and their guide helps us out getting the attention of the river lady.  They check out if they can pick us up  and say they left voicemail for us but obviously we didn’t get it.  Later when I check, they have left the voicemail on my mobile only about half an hour before departure time. Pointless when I had told them I don’t have reception out here and obviously we have to have been en route at that time. Major stuff up.

At any rate they said they would wait for us to drive round to where they are. We make our way back into via Menindee and along the Wilcannia / Ivanhoe road without incident and we arrive at the departure point  just as they are about to leave without us afterall.  We board the boat and settle in and head off. An irritating mishap, but all over now.

 The cruise takes the course of the Darling as it was before the lake was made by installing the weir.  The banks of the original watercourse that are still intact are pretty.  Overall there are a lot of dead trees, drowned by the creation of the lake. I always find dead trees rather upsetting and depressing. The scenery as you go deeper into the lake system is fairly unchanging. It would be very easy to get lost on the lake without a guide.

There are plenty of nests of whistling kites here and there, but not many actual kites in evidence.  On the whole, we see very little bird life.  Such a big wet the birds can go anywhere they like these days, so no doubt many are on holiday.  A darter on a dead branch relaxes and dries its wings as we pass by. 

The commentary starts out well but tapers off allowing passengers to enjoy the quiet on the water and relax.  With the floods in Roma they are busy letting water out of the Menindee Lakes.  It will take a couple of months for the flood water to come down from Qld but they get a surge well in advance of that.  Water level has dropped a couple of feet in the last few days apparently, and is changing up and down all the time.  We note the lignum growing around the lake that Aboriginal women would use for weaving dilly bags.   As we cruise, complimentary tea or coffee and biccies and fruit cake are offered around.  The cruise is a pleasant change of pace and scenery to our driving through the arid lands of the last few days, but an hour on the water is enough.  

The tour complete, we alight at the picnic area and head over to the car taking our time on the drive back doing a spot of birdwatching.  We snap some photos where the road has been cut by the high water levels. Admiring silver gulls making a raucous show here, downstream from the weir.

Along this stretch we stop at some shallow pools and see Australian Shelducks and a juvenile Australasian grebe and a range of other good birds, but of course mum keeps the list so I don't recall the others!

Time is passing and I’m keen to move along, I would like to get back to Broken Hill before its too late to call the flight people for tomorrow and make sure we know what’s going on.  Most of the roads into Kinchega National Park are closed, but the road down to the woolshed is open.  Mum is underwhelmed at the idea of visiting another woolshed. She’s a bit over woolsheds and they tend to smell like sheep piss.  There’s a few spots with birds along the way in but we decide to have a better look at them on the way back.  We stopped to pay our pay and display entrance fee and head in on the dirt roads, which have patches that are quite corrugated, but nothing too drastic.  Lots of people are at the woolshed. Mum decides she’ll come in after all rather than stay in the car.  First stop the old dunny.  Quite a classy long drop affair. Well better than average.  Not currently in use, more modern facilities are available and there’s lots of signs to make sure people don’t think they can actually use this old dunny. 

On into the woolshed, past some old machinery used to power the equipment over the years. A gadget used to put the bales up on the drays for transport.  Right next to the entrance to the shed an echidna is sitting behind some wire, clearly well aware we can’t reach him.  At first I thought it might be a stuffed exhibit, but no, its just found itself a lovely sunny corner for a bit of a kip.

The woolshed itself is a very interesting design. Very different to other sheds we have visited.  There is a large under cover area where the sheep are protected and out of the weather.  Dry in case of rain, or to let them cool off before the ordeal of shearing. 

From the covered pens a long ramp runs down to the holding yards which though modernized before this area became a national park are still intact giving a great aspect for appreciation of how the shed worked.   

 The current shed is only half the size it was originally.  In the hey day it was a 64 stand shed. Wow. These days four would be more likely.  In the space of one year the number of sheep shorn dropped by 100,000 down to only about 30,000.  We read about the ecological catastrophe of overstocking and rabbits and the royal commission that was thought necessary to sort out what had caused this calamity.  The whole complex is very very interesting.  Mum announces that she is surprised, The Kinchega Woolshed was very interesting and she’s very glad she had the opportunity to visit.  There is a lot of additional information provided but that we didn't have time to read in detail. I do just a light skim read over the information provided about the history.  There is a phone and I try to call the flight people, but find it is the one phone number I haven’t printed on the itinerary. I expected to be calling from the motel.  

We pass by the shearer’s quarters and they look pretty good.  One room that we can see in has two sets of bunk beds.  These buildings date from the 1950s.  The whole complex gives a good coverage to pastoral activity across a long period.  A quick snap of the windmill, which turned out really well considering that I couldn’t really see too well what was in frame.  A snap of the killing shed and we are on our way.

Back in town the first priority is calling the scenic flight people. That out of the way I want to stop at Bell’s and try a thickshake.  It’s ten to five when we get there, close to closing.  We order small thick shakes to take away.  Flavour was good, but still very thin and milky and I cannot tell any difference to the milkshake we  had yesterday. I wonder if she actually gave us a milkshake by mistake.  I have concluded that the bells flavours would be good if you were making your own, but I can live without the shakes made on the premises.

The next check box on my list is to run out to the airport and make sure we know where we are heading. The drive is trouble free and we admire the large flying doctor base.  We think we’ll add The RFDS tour to Tuesday’s activities perhaps.

Then we wander round looking for the road up to the memorial and restaurant. The "line of load" looks pretty grotty from the gound, but’s it’s actually pretty awesome driving up on this enormous mullock heap. It feels like you're through a mine site. You go past the mine tours that have stopped operating and up to the info centre and memorial.  It’s almost sunset and there are lots of people up here. I make a bee line straight out the memorial.

It is a spectacular memorial. Very lovely in the golden light at the close of the day. Panoramic views all around 360 degrees.  I am very glad I came up here.  Definitely a broken hill must do.  The names of miners killed on the job are listed. So many back in the 19^th century, early 20^th and tapering off, but still a name here and there in recent times.  Mining is a dangerous business, though nowhere near as bad these days as in the past.

I wander into the restaurant, peruse the menu and make a reservation for Tuesday evening.  I can’t wait.

Mum’s pretty exhausted and looking it. We sit very briefly on a seat nearby the entrance before deciding to head off back to the motel.  Mum is not hungry so I just order chicken parmy from room service.  Turns out to be absolutely massive and very delicious.  Mum can’t resist and shares some.  I’m pretty tired too. Too tired to journal so end up giving it away and hitting the sack, to catch up on the record another time.